Microstructure and Hot Tearing Sensitivity Simulation and Parameters Optimization for the Centrifugal Casting of Al-Cu Alloy

Four typical theories on the formation of thermal tears:strength,liquid film,intergranular bridging,and solidifica-tion shrinkage compensation theories.From these theories,a number of criteria have been derived for predicting the formation of thermal cracks,such as the stress-based Niyama,Clyne,and RDG(Rapaz-Dreiser-Grimaud)criteria.In this paper,a mathematical model of horizontal centrifugal casting was established,and numerical simulation analysis was conducted for the centrifugal casting process of cylindrical Al-Cu alloy castings to investigate the effect of the centrifugal casting process conditions on the microstructure and hot tearing sensitivity of alloy castings by using the modified RDG hot tearing criterion.Results show that increasing the centrifugal rotation and pouring speeds can refine the microstructure of the alloy but increasing the pouring and mold preheating temperatures can lead to an increase in grain size.The grain size gradually transitions from fine grain on the outer layer to coarse grain on the inner layer.Meanwhile,combined with the modified RDG hot tearing criterion,the overall distribution of the castings’hot tearing sensitivity was analyzed.The analysis results indicate that the porosity in the middle region of the casting was large,and hot tearing defects were prone to occur.The hot tearing tendency on the inner side of the casting was greater than that on the outer side.The effects of centrifugal rotation speed,pouring temperature,and preheating temperature on the thermal sensitivity of Al-Cu alloy castings are summarized in this paper.This study revealed that the tendency of alloy hot cracking decreases with the increase of the centrifugal speed,and the maximum porosity of castings decreases first and then increases with the pouring temperature.As the preheating temperature increases,the overall maximum porosity of castings shows a decreasing trend.

Hot tearing behavior of AZ91D magnesium alloy

Hot tearing is a serious destructive solidification defect of magnesium alloys and other casting metals.Quantitative and controllable measurements on the thermal and the mechanical behavior of an alloy during its solidification process are crucial for the understanding of hot tearing formation.We developed a new experimental method and setup to characterize hot tearing behavior via controlled cooling and active loading to force hot hearing formation on cooling at selected fractions of solid.The experimental setup was fully instrumented so that stress,strain,strain rate,and temperature can be measured in-situ while hot tearing was developing.An AZ91D magnesium alloy,which is prone to hot tearing,was used in this study.Results indicate that when hot hearing occurred,the local temperature,critical stress,and cumulative strain were directly affected by strain rate.Depending on the applied strain rate,hot tearing of the AZ91D magnesium alloy could occur in two solidification stages:one in the dendrite solidification stage(fS∼0.81-0.82)and the other in the eutectic solidification stage(fS∼0.99).AZ91D alloy exhibited distinct mechanical behaviors in these two ranges of fraction solid.

Effect of addition of minor amounts of Sb and Gd on hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy

The effects of addition of minor amount of(0.5 wt.%) antimony(Sb) or gadolinium(Gd) and combined addition of Sb and Gd(0.5 wt.%,respectively) on the hot tearing susceptibility(HTS) of Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy were investigated experimentally using a “T-shaped” hot tearing measuring system. Various solidification parameters of the alloys were measured and calculated through thermal analysis experiments. The microstructure, grain size, and morphology of the crack zone were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction, and the crystal phases of the alloys were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results showed that the addition of 0.5 wt.% Gd resulted in the increase in the vulnerable temperature range(Tv) and reduced the eutectic structure content that could participate in feeding, thereby improving the HTS of the alloy. However, addition of 0.5 wt.% Sb or combined addition of Gd and Sb(0.5 wt.%, respectively) to the Mg-5Al-3Ca alloy shortened the Tvand improved the skeleton strength of the alloy, thereby reducing HTS. Moreover, significantly refined structure of Mg-5Al-3Ca-0.5Gd-0.5Sb alloy improved the feeding ability of the eutectic structure, thus the alloy exhibited the lowest HTS.

Effect of pouring and mold temperatures on hot tearing susceptibility of AZ91D and Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-Zr Mg alloys

Pouring and mold temperatures are two important parameters during casting magnesium components. The present study examined their influence on hot tearing susceptibility （HTS） of commercial AZ91D and newly developed Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-Zr （mass fraction, %; NZ30K） magnesium alloys in gravity permanent mold casting condition. The results indicate that mold temperature shows much more significant influence on the HTS of both alloys than pouring temperature whose influence only can be distinguished at low mold temperature （341 K for AZ91D alloy and 423 K for NZ30K alloy）. Hot tearing susceptibility prediction model concerning feeding parameters, grain size and solidification range, is more suitable to estimate the HTS of different magnesium alloys than the model only concerning feeding parameters. In order to achieve better hot tearing resistance, the ranges of pouring and mold temperatures are suggested to be 961-991 K and≥641 K for AZ91D alloy, 1003-1033 K and≥623 K for NZ30K alloy, respectively.

Effects of Y on hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloys

The hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn2.5YxZr0.5 （x=0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6） alloys was evaluated by thermodynamic calculations based on Clyne-Davies model. The microstructure and morphology of hot tearing regions of the alloys were observed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The solidification temperature and shrinkage stress during the solidification of MgZn2.5YxZr0.5 alloys in the“T”type hot tearing permanent-mold were acquired with the attached computer. The effect factors of hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn2.5YxZr0.5 alloys, such as the solidification temperature interval, the variation of solid fraction in vulnerable region, the residual liquid fraction in the final stage, the type of the second phase of the alloys were discussed based on the above calculation and observation. The results demonstrated that the hot tearing susceptibility in the investigated alloys was found as follows：MgZn2.5Y2Zr0.5＆gt;MgZn2.5Y0.5Zr0.5＆gt;MgZn2.5Y4Zr0.5＆gt;MgZn2.5Y6Zr0.5＆gt;MgZn2.5Y1Zr0.5. The highest hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn2.5Y2Zr0.5 alloy related to the following reasons： the largest freezing range, the biggest changing of the variation of solid fraction in vulnerable region, the least liquid film in the final stage of solidification, the formation of the second phase which worsens the liquid flow and interdendritic feeding after dendrite coherency.

Role of tensile forces in hot tearing formation of cast Al-Si alloy

The instrumented applied rod casting apparatus （ARCA） was developed to investigate the effects of tensile forces in the hot tearing formation of cast AI-Si alloys. The obtained data of tensile forces/temperature was used to identify hot tearing initiation and propagation and the fracture surface of samples was also investigated. The result shows that the applied tensile forces have a complex effect on load onset for the hot tearing initiation and propagation. During the casting solidification, the tensile forces are gradually increased with the increase of solid fraction. Under the action of tensile forces, there will appear hot tearing and crack propagation on the surface of the sample. When the tensile forces exceed the inherent strength of alloys, there will be fractures on the sample. As for the A356 alloy, the critical fracture stress is about 0.1 MPa. The hot tearing surface morphology shows that the remaining intergranular bridge and liquid films are thick enough to allow the formation of dendrite-tip bumps on the fracture surface.

Solidification characteristics and hot tearing susceptibility of Ni-based superalloys for turbocharger turbine wheel

The solidification characteristics and the hot tearing susceptibility were investigated on two Ni-based superalloys for turbocharger turbine wheel, K418 and K419. The segregation behaviors of the alloying elements and the precipitation phases were also studied. The results show that the solidification behavior of K419 alloy is complicated when compared with K418 due to the interdendritic segregation of many kinds of strong interdendritic partitioning elements in the remaining liquid at the final stage of solidification. The segregation of multiple elements in interdendritic liquid results in an extremely low solidus in K419. A long residual liquid stage is found during the solidification of K419, giving rise to reduced cohesion strength of dendrites and increased sensitivity to hot tearing. A hot tearing susceptibility coefficient（HTS） criterion is proposed based on a hot tearing sensitive model. The HTS value of K419 alloy is larger than that of K418 alloy.

A review on hot tearing of magnesium alloys

Hot tearing is often a major casting defect in magnesium alloys and has a significant impact on the quality of their casting products.Hot tearing of magnesium alloys is a complex solidification phenomenon which is still not fully understood,it is of great importance to investigate the hot tearing behaviour of magnesium alloys.This review attempts to summarize the investigations on hot tearing of magnesium alloys over the past decades.The hot tearing criteria including recently developed Kou’s criterion are summarized and compared.The numeric simulation and assessing methods of hot tearing,factors influencing hot tearing,and hot tearing susceptibility(HTS)of magnesium alloys are discussed.

Tensile properties and hot tearing susceptibility of cast Al–Cu alloys containing excess Fe and Si

This study was undertaken to investigate the tensile properties and hot tearing susceptibility of cast Al–Cu alloys containing excess Fe(up to 1.5 wt%)and Si(up to 2.5 wt%).According to the results,the optimum tensile properties and hot tearing resistance were achieved at Fe/Si mass ratio of 1,where theα-Fe phase was the dominant Fe compound.Increasing the Fe/Si mass ratio above unity increased the amounts of detrimentalβ-Cu Fe platelets in the microstructure,deteriorating the tensile properties and hot tearing resistance.Decreasing the mass ratio below unity increased the size and fraction of Si needles and micropores in the microstructure,also impairing the tensile properties and hot tearing resistance.The investigation of hot-torn surfaces revealed that theβ-Cu Fe platelets disrupted the tear healing phenomenon by blocking interdendritic feeding channels,while theα-Fe intermetallics improved the hot tearing resistivity due to their compact morphology and high melting point.

Influence of alloying elements on hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-Zn alloys based on thermodynamic calculation and experimental

Based on the hot tearing index|△T/△(fs)^(0.5)|recently proposed by Kou and the thermodynamic calculations of Pandat software,Al,Cu,and Mn elements were picked up and their influence on hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-x Zn(x=6,8,10,wt%)alloys was studied by experiments.The results indicate that Al addition can significantly reduce the hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-Zn alloys.Either 0.5Cu or 0.3Mn addition individually can reduce the HTS of the Mg-6Zn-(1,4)Al alloys,while adding together increases the susceptibility.The addition of 0.5Cu and 0.3Mn both individually and together increases the HTS of Mg-8/10Zn-1Al alloys.Based on the experimental and calculation results,the index can be modified to|△T/△(fs)^(0.5)|(d)^(2)for more accurate prediction on the hot tearing resistance of Mg-Zn based alloys.Grain refinement significantly improves the hot tearing resistance of Mg-Zn based alloys.

Quality index and hot tearing susceptibility of Al-7Si-0.35Mg-xCu alloys

The effects of Cu addition（0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 3%, mass fraction） on the quality index（Qi） and hot tearing susceptibility（HTS） of A356 alloy were investigated. According to the results, Cu addition up to 1.5% increases the Qi by almost 10%, which seems to be due to its solid solution strengthening and dispersion hardening effect of Cu-rich Al2Cu and AlMgCuSi compounds. However, further addition of Cu（up to 3%） decreases the Qi by almost 12%, which is likely due to the reduction of tensile strength and elongation caused by increased volume fraction of brittle Cu-rich intermetallics and microporosities in the microstructure. It is also found that Cu increases the HTS of A356 alloy measured by constrained rod casting method. According to the thermal analysis results, Cu widens the solidification range of the alloy, which in turn, decreases its fluidity and increases the time period during which the mushy-state alloy is exposed to the hot tearing susceptible zone. SEM examination of the hot tear surfaces in high-Cu alloys also demonstrates their rough nature and the occurrence of interdendritic/intergranular microcracks as convincing evidences for the initiation of hot tears in the late stages of solidification in which there is not enough time for crack healing.

Relationship between amounts of low-melting-point eutectics and hot tearing susceptibility of ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys during solidification

A systematical study on the relationship between the amounts of different eutectic phases especially the low-melting-point(LMP)eutectics and the hot tearing susceptibility of ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys during solidification was performed.By controlling the concentrations of major alloying elements(Cu,Mg),the amounts of LMP eutectics at the final stages of solidification were varied and the corresponding hot tearing susceptibility(HTS)was determined.The results showed that the Al−4.6Cu−0.4Mg(wt.%)alloy,which contained the smallest fraction of LMP eutectics among the investigated alloys,was observed to be the most susceptible to hot tearing.With the amount of total residual liquid being approximately the same in the alloys,the hot tearing resistance is considered to be closely related to the amounts of LMP eutectics.Specifically,the higher the amount of LMP eutectics was,the lower the HTS of the alloy was.Further,the potential mechanism of low HTS for alloys with high amounts of LMP eutectics among ternary Al−Cu−Mg alloys was discussed in terms of feeding ability and permeability as well as total viscosity evolution during solidification.

Influence of Al addition on solidification path and hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-2Zn-(3+0.5 x)Y-x Al alloys

Hot tearing susceptibility(HTS)of Mg-2Zn-(3+0.5 x)Y-x Al(x=0,2 and 3 at%)alloys is predicted by using modified Clyne-Davies’model(CSC^(∗)).The solidification path,solidification characteristic temperatures and dendritic coherency solid fraction have been studied by double-thermocouple thermal analysis.The solidification contraction stress vs.temperature(and time)curves are measured by using a“T”type hot tearing permanent-mold.The results reveal that the CSC^(∗)prediction values are in good agreement with the experimental results.Moreover,Al_(2)Y phase acts as the heterogeneous nucleation core ofα-Mg and significantly influences the grain size.It has been observed that minimum grain size,optimal dendritic coherency and minimum HTS are exhibited by Mg-2Zn-(3+0.5 x)Y-x Al alloy(x=2).Furthermore,when Al content was increased to 3 at%,Al_(2)Y phase exhibited a peritectic reaction and transformed into a mixed structure of Al_(2)Y and Al+Al_(3)Y phases,which increased the HTS of the alloy due to reduced fine-grained Al_(2)Y content.

Hot tearing behaviors and in-situ thermal analysis of Mg-7Zn-xCu-0.6Zr alloys

Thermal analysis was used to investigate the microstructural evolution of Mg-7 Zn-x Cu-0.6 Zr alloys during solidification. The effect of Cu content（0, 1, 2 and 3, mass fraction, %） on the hot tearing behavior of the Mg-7 Zn-x Cu-0.6 Zr alloys was investigated with a constrained rod casting（CRC） apparatus, equipped with a load sensor and a data acquisition system. The thermal analysis results of Mg-7 Zn-x Cu-0.6 Zr alloy revealed that the alloy consisted of two distinct phases： α-Mg and Mg Zn2. Three distinct peaks were observed in the alloys with Cu addition, which were identified as α-Mg, Mg Zn Cu and Mg Zn2. In addition, the reaction temperature of α-Mg decreased and the reaction temperatures of Mg Zn2 and Mg Zn Cu increased as the Cu content increased. The experimental results of hot tearing demonstrated that the addition of Cu significantly reduced the hot tearing susceptibility（HTS） of Mg-7 Zn-x Cu-0.6 Zr alloys due to the higher eutectic temperature and the shorter solidification temperature region.

Hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) alloys and mechanism

The hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5)(x = 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6) alloys was evaluated using ClyneDavies' theoretical model and a constrained rod casting(CRC) apparatus equipped with a load cell and data acquisition system. The results obtained from these two approaches were in good agreement, illustrating that the hot tearing susceptibility of the investigated alloys is in the order of MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) > MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) > MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) > MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5)> MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5). The microstructure and morphology of hot tearing regions were observed by means of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The function curves on variation of contraction force and temperature versus time were recorded by a computer during solidification of the MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) alloys in a "T" type mold after A/D(Analog to digital) conversion. Results show that both the amount and morphology of the second phases have a great relationship with the hot tearing susceptibility. But the former plays a more important role on that of MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) alloys. The role of low-melting point eutectic phases on the hot tearing susceptibility of MgZn_(4.5)Y_xZr_(0.5) alloys changes gradually with different Y contents. When Y ≤ 1wt.%, it is mainly a damaging effect on intergranular bonding force; when Y > 1wt.%, it is mainly an intergranular feeding effect on formed separated dendrites.

Prediction of hot tearing susceptibility of direct chill casting of AA6111 alloys via finite element simulations

To predict hot tearing susceptibility(HTS)during solidification and improve the quality of Al alloy castings,constitutive equations for AA6111 alloys were developed using a direct finite element(FE)method.A hot tearing model was established for direct chill(DC)casting of industrial AA6111 alloys via coupling FE model and hot tearing criterion.By applying this model to real manufacture processes,the effects of casting speed,bottom cooling,secondary cooling,and geometric variations on the HTS were revealed.The results show that the HTS of the billet increases as the speed and billet radius increase,while it reduces as the interfacial heat transfer coefficient at the bottom or secondary water-cooling rate increases.This model shows the capabilities of incorporating maximum pore fraction in simulating hot tearing initiation,which will have a significant impact on optimizing casting conditions and chemistry for minimizing HTS and thus controlling the casting quality.

Nonmechanical criteria proposed for prediction of hot tearing sensitivity in 2024 aluminum alloy

Two theoretical criteria represented by Katgerman, and Clyne and Davies for prognosticating hot tearing sensitivity were compared. Both unrefined and grain-refined samples of Al2024 alloy were solidified at various cooling rates ranging from 0.4 to 17.5 °C/s. Thermal analysis was used to detect dendrite coherency point and temperature of eutectic reaction. Curves of solid and liquid fractions were plotted based on Newtonian method to determine hot tearing susceptible areas. The experimental results show that the most susceptible zone in which hot tearing can occur in Al2024 is where Al_2CuMg intermetallic compound forms as a eutectic phase at last stage of mushy-state interval. Also, both criteria are in a good agreement with each other at high cooling rates used in direct-chill casting process while Clyne and Davies＇ model is more acceptable to determine hot tearing tendency from low to medium cooling rates.

Influence of a low-frequency alternating magnetic field on hot tearing susceptibility of EV31 magnesium alloy

The effect of a low-frequency alternating magnetic field (AMF,0 A 0 Hz,5 A 10 Hz,10 A 10 Hz,15 A 10 Hz) on the hot tearing susceptibility (HTS) of a magnesium alloy (EV31) was systematically studied using a combination of experiment and numerical simulation.By observing the macroscopic hot cracks in hot joints of the "T" samples,the hot tearing tendency of the samples was analyzed.The HTS of the alloy can be predicted via numerical simulation and the crack susceptibility coefficient (CSC).The microstructure and morphology of the hot tearing zone of EV31 were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).Results show that increasing the magnetic field strength reduces both the alloy solidification temperature range and the dendrite coherency temperature,which increases the feeding time during solidification and decreases the HTS of the alloy.When the magnetic field parameters are 10 Hz 15 A,the EV31 alloy shows the lowest HTS.The main component of the second phase in the microstructure is Mg12Nd.This study also found that the electromagnetic field can effectively refine the grains,purify the melt,and reduce the oxide content in the melt.The obtained simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.

Effects of grain refinement and residual elements on hot tearing of A713 aluminium cast alloy

Some investigations have been carried out on hot tears in the A713 cast alloy, which is one of the long freezing range alloys, with objective to minimize/prevent hot tears. Experiments were conducted by varying pouring temperatures at 700, 750, and 780 ℃ on the alloy with the addition of grain refiners like Al-2.5Ti-0.5C and Al-3.5Ti-1.5C. It was found that hot tearing was minimized by the addition of Al-3.5Ti-1.5C grain refiner, but grain refinement alone could not prevent hot tearing in A713 cast alloy. This has contradicted the findings of some earlier researchers. Experiments conducted on hot tearing with the addition of iron were found to be interesting. It was found that grain refinement along with iron addition to the A713 alloy has reduced the inter-dendritic separation so that interlocking could take place along the grain boundaries. Thus, iron, which comes as an impurity in commercial aluminum, can prevent hot tearing of A713 alloy.

Hot tearing susceptibility of Mg-xZn-2Y alloys

Effects of Zn content (0, 0.5%, 1.5% and 4.5%) on the hot tearing characteristics of Mg?2%Y alloy were studied in aconstrained rod casting (CRC) apparatus attached with a load cell and data acquisition system. The experimental results indicate thatthe hot tearing susceptibility (HTS) is affected by the content of Zn. The Zn-free base alloy shows the lowest HTS. The HTS ofMg?xZn?2Y alloys increases with increasing Zn content, reaches the maximum at 1.5% Zn, and then decreases with further Znaddition. The high HTS observed in the alloy with 1.5% Zn is attributed to its high force release rate and large force drop duringsolidification. The hot cracks of casting are initiated and propagate along the dendritic or grain boundaries. The predictions of HTS ofMg?xZn?2Y alloys using ProCAST software are in good agreement with the results obtained by experimental measurements.